On Developer.com today there's a new tutorial about Quercus - the Java-based implementation of PHP - and how to get it up and running in your environment.

Imagine the possibilities when a PHP developer can continue using the language's templating capabilities while leveraging Hibernate's object-relational features. Thanks to an open source project named Quercus, PHP and Java developers alike can mix and match the respective capabilities of both languages. [...] This approach (part of the movement that software architect Neal Ford famously defined as "polyglot programming") opens up a whole new world of opportunities for developers seeking to squeeze every last ounce of performance and capability from their application platforms.

They help you get it installed and show you how to execute a PHP script from inside. There's also a bit about integrating Java libraries into your code and the integration of a type of tool PHP doesn't come native with, something like iTextPDF.

I've been told that MIX has sold out and that there is a lot of interest in our slot, so I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about, but I'm looking for questions to break the ice and get things rolling.

If you know a little bit about the topic and would like to help out with questions of your own, send them along to Wez via email - wez@php.net.